‘OFFICIAL CAR OF VANCOUVER’
All-electric, period-perfect prototype
Not sure if such a title exists, but if it does we have a new, undisputed Official Car of Vancouver.
Its open-top styling is the stuff of quintessential West Coast cruising, it’s 100-percent electric-powered, and it’s built by a company that has been on the Lower Mainland since the late-’70s.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present the 356 Intermeccanica eRoadster.
Granted, there’s just one in existence, but once prospective buyers take a silent spin in the baby blue prototype, master car builder Henry Reisner and his crew of talented artisans are poised to crank out plenty in their New Westminster shop. (Full disclosure and shameless plug: I’m the author of a book chronicling the incredible story of the company founded by Reisner’s parents Frank and Paula, titled Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull, and just released as a second edition by Veloce Publishing in the U.K).
Based on the same gaspowered Roadsters the company has been making and perfecting since moving from Italy to Southern California in 1976, then to Vancouver a half-dozen years later, the eRoadster epitomizes the evolution of the company. In the past few years it had joined forces with electric vehicle startup Electra Meccanica in the development and production of the single-seat Solo EV, and earlier this year moved under the ownership umbrella of a new company called simply Meccanica.
With all those lithium-ion battery packs and electric motors lying around, it was inevitable that Henry would figure out a way to create an all-electric Roadster.
The result needs to be seen to be believed. Strike that. Driven to be believed. That’s because just looking at the eRoadster gives no indication whatsoever that it is an EV. The charge port — always a giveaway — is hidden behind the hinged rear licence plate, and the dashboard gauges are period perfect, meaning the battery charge indicator is in fact the gasoline fuel gauge. Okay, not exactly precise, but still pretty cool.
Further inspection of the meticulously finished cabin reveals a traditional gearshift and a clutch pedal, anathema to the EV crowd. But both are functional because Reisner has outfitted the eRoadster with low and high gears; the former is for city driving, the latter for allout highway running. With the 50 kWh battery on board, the estimated range of the eRoadster is around 300 kilometres.
However, jump into the driver’s seat, turn the key to “on” and the transmission knob to ‘D,’ release the parking brake and push the right pedal and the otherworldly experience begins. I’ve driven a number of gas-powered Roadsters and Speedsters built by Intermeccanica, but I can’t describe the feeling of the lightning quick acceleration of the eRoadster — with the only sound being the wind in your hair and the faint whirr of electric motors.
While the gas-powered cars, typically outfitted with VW air-cooled engines, though some have Porsche power plants, sort of chug up to speed, the eRoadster, with 134 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque, sprints with a zero-to-100 km/h time in the six-second neighbourhood. True, that’s the case with even the most mundane EVs, be they the Chevy Bolt or the Nissan Leaf. But this is a 356 replica, so the contrast between the old-world charm and new-world tech is simply stunning. Driving around Metro Vancouver, the car gets lots of looks, but few if any of those giving the enthusiastic thumbs-up have any inkling this thing is powered by electricity alone.
The idea of incorporating cutting-edge mechanical bits and pieces into a classic car is certainly not new, with the so-called “resto-mod” craze seeing all manner of Big Three muscle cars getting their original drum brakes, old-school gearboxes and steering systems swapped out for new stuff that is more reliable and comfortable. There is also precedent of EV-conversions of older models, but those are oneoffs done by backyard tinkerers rather than bona fide and experienced car-builders like Intermeccanica.
That said, the eRoadster won’t come cheap. Henry estimates if you order one to the prototype’s specs it will be in the US$125,000 range. Each will be custom-built to order, so if you want creature comforts such as heated seats (which the prototype has), Bluetooth connectivity and a nav system, Henry is more than happy to accommodate. Likewise, if you want an ostrich interior and gold-flaked paint, giddy up. The one thing that isn’t in the offing is a power-retractable roof.
With gas in Metro Vancouver cresting $1.60 a litre and the continued sabrerattling coming from across the Rockies in Alberta, an eRoadster might just make financial sense in the future.
It certainly makes emotional sense today.